Alaska Governor Orders Investigation After Report on Senate Spoiler Candidate

Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy directed the state Department of Public Safety to investigate the U.S. Senate race on Wednesday night. The order followed a New York Times report alleging that Democratic campaign operatives recruited a non-incumbent candidate named Dan Sullivan. The governor’s directive asks officials to determine if the scheme violated state laws and whether criminal charges or civil action are warranted.

The Senate race in Alaska is considered a toss-up and may determine which party controls the chamber in the next Congress. The current seat is held by Republican Senator Dan Sullivan. The controversy centers on a second candidate with the same name, also a Republican, who appears on the ballot. Democrats have long denied involvement in the non-incumbent Sullivan’s candidacy. Both the campaign of Democrat Mary Peltola and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee reiterated those denials after the report published.

The New York Times based its story on interviews and communications between Peltola’s attorneys, advisers, and senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Peltola, a former congresswoman, is attempting to flip the seat. While campaigning on Wednesday, she described the story as a distraction. The non-incumbent Sullivan did not respond to media requests for comment. He has previously stated that running for Senate was his own decision.

Republican officials reacted swiftly to the report. Nate Adams, a spokesperson for Sen. Sullivan, said in a statement that Peltola and her campaign had spent months denying a scheme they were running. President Donald Trump posted online that the findings represented voter fraud at the highest level. His Justice Department had already sought to intervene in the race. Last week, the department asked a court to delay certification of results if the incumbent Sullivan loses by a small margin. The legal effort cited potential voter confusion caused by the second Sullivan on the ballot.

Election law experts initially described the Justice Department’s case as weak. They noted that the Constitution grants states control over elections. However, Justice Department officials said the new reporting expands their options. On Thursday, the department filed an amended complaint citing the New York Times findings. It remains unclear which specific laws the state investigation might find were violated.

Elaine Kamarck, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, noted that such tactics are common in politics. She co-authored a book on dirty tricks in campaigns. Kamarck told NPR that the internet makes it easy to spread information about campaign strategies. She described the maneuver as standard fare for campaigns. At times, major-party advisers support third-party candidates to undercut the opposing major-party candidate.

The non-incumbent Sullivan advanced to the general election through Alaska’s nonpartisan primary system. This system sends the top four vote-getters to the fall ballot regardless of party. State officials had previously probed the candidacies. The Alaska Supreme Court ruled in June that the non-incumbent Sullivan could appear on the general election ballot. The court’s decision allowed him to remain on the ballot despite questions about his candidacy.

Residents in Alaska expressed mixed reactions to the report. Some said the news draws attention away from other issues. Others questioned whether voters would actually be confused by two candidates with the same name. The ballot identifies which Sullivan is the Republican incumbent. The state uses ranked-choice voting for the general election. If voters are confused, they can rank both Sullivans and leave Peltola unranked. Voters will also decide whether to keep this unique election system on the same ballot.